It’s been a while since our last Open Thread, and I couldn’t let this headline pass without sharing it here: Otter at Red River Zoo Destroys OtterBox-Protected Phone
Photo by Matt Kalbus via valleynewslive.com
Someone taking a photo of the otters apparently dropped their iPhone in the exhibit. The phone, equipped with an OtterBox case, was picked up by the animal. Zoo-goers watch as the otter rips apart the OtterBox case, dropping the phone into the water. Witnesses say the otter would retrieve the phone, chew on it, and drop it back into the water several times.
According to the official OtterBox website, their product is waterproof and the port covers also keep out dust and debris. The 3-layer design protects against drops, bumps and scratches, but it appears it is no match for actual otters.
Otterbox responded delightfully with a tongue in cheek press release, including a video of other otters playing with one of their actual waterproof cases, and some fascinating teeth-strength data.
The referenced data includes fun facts about otters including, “River otter teeth are some of the strongest, as their canines can deliver a lethal bite and molars can crush bones and the shells of mollusks.” And… “River otter diets include birds, small rodents, frogs, crabs and fish…””and apparently phone cases.”
Please feel free to use this thread to natter about anything your heart desires. Is there anything great happening in your life? Anything you want to get off your chest? Reading a great book? Anything in the news that you’d like to discuss? Commiserations, felicitations, temptations, contemplations, speculations?
Categories: arts & entertainment, fun & hobbies, Miscellaneous
100 books by women in 2016 
Vale David Bowie 
Mega Doctor Who Snog, Marry, Avoid. 
Hoyden About Town 
At present, I’m enjoying my usual Saturday Morning Not Doing Anything So There (Saturdays are my official day off from housework). Problem is, my partner has been home sick for most of the past week (something flu-ish, upper respiratory tract problems and a nasty cough) and I think I’m sort of getting the edges of it as well, although it doesn’t seem to be as bad so far. Just got a bit of a sinus headache, and the main treatment for that (increasing my fluid levels so things drain more readily) appears to be working so far. Still, it’s giving me an excuse not to visit Mum tomorrow, which is kinda-sorta a good thing, since I’m not really feeling all that social.
Good news: my mental health problems appear to be retreating; I seem to have found some good strategies to deal with things; and the weather here is sunny, if cold.
Hey good news about the mental health.
Hope you can fend off the lurgy megpie. Good news on the mental health front, long may it continue. Weather here is overcast and cold and apparently tomorrow will be raining. Not so great with three baskets of washing to get dry and more school washing to get done too.
In better news the spider that made itself at home on the fridge has been relocated outside.
Mindy, I read that at first as the spider that had made its home IN the fridge. I was thinking about the issues this might cause (including for the spider!) before a re-read set me straight …
Fortunately it didn’t get that far!
It feels like it has been cold, grey and rainy for weeks here, and we aren’t even officially in winter yet!
I’m wailing and gnashing my teeth over the UK election results.
I’ve been puzzling all weekend over how the polls got it so wrong beforehand. What I’m wondering is whether the situation is something like here in Adelaide, where the demographics work against conservative governments, but in reverse. But the exit polls don’t support that theory…
Mee too, sunlessnick. I might be moving there in a few years and I don’t want to deal with that crap there as well as here…
I have my first big, serious, adult-job interview tomorrow (government policy program). I think I’ve prepped enough potential questions and done enough research, but still starting to get a bit nervous! Any tips from seasoned professionals?
Best interview advice I ever received: be the best version of yourself you can be.
Oh, and remember to breathe 🙂
Good luck!
Haha, thanks Jo. That’s good advice if ever I’ve heard any. 😀
Good luck Jo!
Thanks Mindy! It went really well I think – perhaps one or two minor things that could have been better, but I’m not too worried. The program has been great with their turnaround time, so I’ll hopefully be getting a call end of the week.
Excellent news Jo. Hoping for even better news soon. If it is govt don’t be surprised if it takes ages though.
On the budget and budget coverage … I know there is so much to say about substance, but I just need to get this off my chest first: I could have done without the glib rape analogy in First Dog’s cartoon about the lock-up.
We Hunted the Mammoth bring you their take-down of a movie review of the new Mad Max movie by someone who hasn’t actually seen it, but just knows that it is bad for men everywhere.
“As Clarey sees it, the central flaw in this film that he hasn’t seen is, well, it’s going to be starring Charlize Theron as a shaven-headed postapocalyptical badass named Furiosa. And that’s just not right, because everyone knows that women are just too damn womeny to be postapocalyptical badasses.”
The second half of that post needs a trigger warning for abuse (there’s a warning just before it gets there).